For Want of a Badge
by Guardian of Nesh
Summary: The Ace Attorney Universe changes forever when Maya makes a surprise visit to Phoenix during the trial of Zak Gramarye and ends up saving her old friend from losing his Attorney's Badge. With Phoenix still an attorney and not dressing like a hobo for seven years the fates of many an Ace Attorney character change. An unabashed fix fic. Phoenix/Maya. No other pairings yet.
1. Chapter 1: A Fey-tful Save

Disclaimer: I don't own the Ace Attorney franchise, but I'm going to have fun twisting it around.

 **For Want of a Badge**

 **Chapter 1: A Fey-tful Save**

April, 19, 2019, District Court:

It had been a little over two months since Maya Fey had been in this courtroom. To be honest it was still quite painful to be here, even as just a member of the audience. After all the last time she had been here had been the trial for the murder of her own mother. Yet here she was.

She supposed it was inevitable, she'd come back to the city to surprise Nick with a visit after all and he was an ace attorney. Truth be told she hadn't found out he was in court until after the trial started, hence why she was in the audience and not next to him right now.

Though to be fair it didn't seem like Nick needed her right now; it looked like he had this case well in hand. So why was it that Maya felt uneasy? After all Nick was up against some green "star" prosecutor and was taking him to task like he always did. This guy, Klavier Gavin was supposedly some famous music star but Maya had never heard of him, though she supposed that could be because of all the time she'd been spending Kurain Village.

The trial itself was for the murder of famed stage magician Magnifi Gramarye, and Nick's client was Shadi Enigmar, better known as Zak Gramarye, one of Magnifi's two proteges the other of which Valant was on the stand. Them even Maya knew. Despite the pain that being in this courtroom caused it was fun getting to see Nick work. She may have teased him practically since day one, but Maya knew that her friend was an amazing defense attorney and it looked like this case would be just one more notch in his belt.

"I do believe... well, with this being his first that the burden of this trial has been a bit too much to bear for Prosecutor Gavin." The judge said. "I'm afraid that, while there is a doubt as to the amount of IV liquid in that bag the time of death cannot be proven. And that brings our trial to a close for today. I see there are no objections, court is adjour-"

"Objection!" Klavier shouted. He chuckled and then continued. "Truly, there's no substitute for experience. Nothing blinds one to the truth so effectively. A word to the wise: Underestimate the young, and they'll sweep your feet out from under you in a way you never, ever expected. You see, I know exactly what you're thinking. You say the witness used the syringe to manipulate the level of the IV liquid, but there is no proof."

 _Come on Nick, I know you can do this, put this guy in his place. You've beaten better than him_. This Klavier guy was really starting to get on her nerves. He was no Miles Edgeworth, Godot, or even Fransizka von Karma, there was no way he was going to beat Nick.

"There's no proof he didn't do it either." Phoenix said. Maya grimaced, even _she_ thought that was a bit weak. Still unless this guy had something really big up his sleeve Nick still had gained at least some time to do some investigation.

"Yes, quite true." Klavier said. "Nor was this witness quite as decisive as I'd hoped. This, I admit. After all, why linger in the past, when the future holds so much?"

"You... have something in mind, Prosecutor Gavin?" The judge asked.

"Proof, Herr Judge. I have another way to prove my case. With evidence, no less." Klavier said. That proof turned out to be Magnifi Gramarye's diary. On the last page he'd written that the diary could possibly end or go on based on the actions of someone coming to visit him. He'd written it just after the IV was put in, before Nick's client Shadi Enigmar had visited. Maya had to admit that it was pretty damning evidence at first glance, but Nick had been in this situation before and he'd always found a way out.

"Well, Mr. Wright? The witness's testimony we heard was lacking, but put together with this evidence, it seems quite sufficient for a case." The judge said.

"I'm left with no choice but to show my own evidence." Phoenix said.

"What!? You have some evidence that overturns this diary?" The judge

"Hmm... It's not too late to rethink this and avoid more... _embarrassment_." Klavier said. That was an odd thing to say, Maya had a _really_ bad feeling about this

"Very well. Please show us your evidence, Mr. Wright." The judge said.

"Incidentally, don't even think of showing us this diary I've just shown the court. Now that we've come this far, I hope you have something a little more... decisive." Klavier said. "Show us evidence that proves the victim continued writing his diary!"

"Alright. I'd be happy to." Phoenix said. "First... take a close look at this diary. Note that a page has clearly been ripped out!" Maya smiled, now _that_ was a classic Nick move, he could always find something the prosecution overlooked.

"What's this? I hadn't noticed that at all." The judge said.

"As it just so happens I have here what I believe to be the missing page." Phoenix said. "Looking at this page It's hard to imagine that the first visitor that night shot Magnifi Gramarye. That's the defense's position."

"W-Wait. Let me see that!" The Judge demanded. "What in sam hill... Why, this is the continuation of the victim's diary!"

"Note the torn edge of the page. It's a perfect match with the torn remains of the last page in Magnifi's diary!" Phoenix said. Again it looked like Nick had things in hand , but Maya couldn't shake that uneasy feeling that she'd had all day.

"Would you care to explain what all this means, Herr Attorney?" Klavier asked.

"The diary continued after his first visitor came. Which means that the victim was still alive after Zak Gramarye left! Leaving no one to take his life but the second visitor, Valant Gramarye!" Phoenix declared.

"The handwriting, too, matches that on the other pages. This is, without a doubt, the genuine article!" The judge pronounced.

"But, but wait! This is... That's impossible! That old man couldn't have written that..." Valant protested.

"Objection!" Klavier shouted. "...Finally. You just couldn't resist, could you, Herr Wright?"

Resist what? Presenting solid evidence?" Phoenix asked.

"Herr Judge?" Klavier asked.

"Y-Yes, Prosecutor Gavin?"

Might I request we put the current cross-examination on hold? The prosecution would like to call a new witness.

"B-But, Prosecutor Gavin! This evidence overturns the current witness'-" Klavier cut the judge off.

I ask only to put it on hold! Please. My new witness has a very, very important piece of testimony to give. Five minutes. No more. I promise... Your Honor."

"W-Well, if you put it that way... Mr. Wright, what's your take on this?" The judge asked.

Well, Your Honor, judging from his enthusiasm we'll have to hear this new testimony sooner or later anyway. So it might as well be sooner." Phoenix said.

Then, though this is highly, highly irregular we will put the current cross-examination on hold. The witness may step down. Now, Prosecutor Gavin, please bring this surprise witness to the courtroom." The judge said.

"Your Honor, I have one more request to make. I must ask that the audience be removed or this witness will not testify." Klavier said.

"Very well, the audience will please leave the courtroom so that we may hear the testimony of this surprise witness." The judge said. Even as everyone else filed out Maya didn't move. She wasn't about to leave Nick alone when a trap was about to be so obviously sprung on him. It wasn't until a pair of bailiffs tried to move her that she spoke.

"You can't make me leave I'm Maya Fey, Nick's assistant, I was late, that's why I was sitting in the audience box!" She protested, "Go on, ask Nick, he'll vouch for me!"

* * *

Phoenix started in surprise when he heard Maya's voice. He hadn't expected her to be here. Part of him was happy to see his old friend, but the other part of him was wrestling with the feeling of dread that had come with this latest development in the trial and the scene she was making was a bit if a distraction. Still if he didn't vouch for her he'd never hear the end of it from Maya or Pearl, and for an eight year old Peals had a mean right hook. "Yes, she's with me." He said with a sigh.

"See, I told you so." Maya said as the bailiffs let go of her. She made her way over to the defense bench with a smile on her face. "Thanks Nick."

"What are you doing here Maya? I thought you were busy training at Kurain Village, not to mention being the new Master." Phoenix whispered, he had no intention of letting the court know he had no idea that Maya was going to be here.

"I wanted to surprise you with a visit and then I found out that you were in court so I rushed over here as fast as I could. I wasn't about to let them kick me out of the courtroom, something is rotten here and I'm not about to let you face it alone."

"You feel it too huh? Well I'm glad to have you on board Maya, though at this point I'm not sure what good it will do, our friend Klavier seems to have been waiting for exactly this moment." Phoenix said.

"You've got to have more faith Nick, we've made it out of tougher scrapes than this before." Maya assured him. Phoenix had to admit she had a point, they'd faced some pretty bleak cases together. Whatever Klavier had planned they could get through it. At least he hoped so. Finally a man covered in pain splotches was brought to the witness stand.

"Hmm... Holding trial with no audience is a first, even for me, Prosecutor Gavin." The judge said.

"I beg the court's understanding, but I had to make a judiciary deal with the witness to secure his testimony." Klavier said.

"A judiciary 'deal'?" Phoenix got that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach again, he didn't like the sound of this one bit. Who was this man and why was Klavier so confident. "The details of his testimony may have some 'legal ramifications', shall we say. I thought it best to contain the information to this room." Klavier explained.

"Hmm... Very well. And you are the witness, I gather?" The judge asked the man on the stand.

"Ah...Y-Yes. Yes, sir." The mysterious man said.

"State your name and occupation for the record." Klavier instructed.

"Erm... My name's Drew Misham. I'm... a painter." The man said.

"A painter? And you are somehow related to this case?" The judge asked. No, well, not per se..." Misham trailed off. I have one simple question for this witness." A single question now Phoenix was _really_ worried about where this was going. Klavier seemed more confident then ever.

"Mister... Misham, was it? Do you know what this is?" He asked showing the painter the torn diary page.

"Oh, yeah. I know it well." Misham said.

"How's that possible?" Phoenix asked. "Have you seen this diary page somewhere before?"

"Oh, yeah. I mean, I made it."

"You... _what_?" Phoenix couldn't believe his ears, things were going downhill fast. "You 'made' it!?"

"Yes. You might call it one of my 'works'. Misham said.

"The regional prosecutor's office received a tip-off yesterday. 'Illegal evidence has been prepared for the trial of Zak Gramarye.'" Klavier said.

"Illegal... evidence?" The judge asked.

"I initiated an investigation, and found this witness. A painter to the world at large, Drew Misham has another side, you might say. He is skilled in making perfect reproductions of certain things, forgeries, in other words." Klavier explained.

" _F-Forgeries?_ " This couldn't be happening! He'd been baited and he should have seen it coming. If this was true it would mean the end of his career.

"W-Well! So, we are to understand that this page here is..." The judge trailed off.

"A fake. Prepared by a certain defense attorney." Klavier had a smug grin on his face.

"Hold it! I didn't 'prepare' this evidence!" Phoenix protested, he wasn't going to just take this lying down.

"Ah, the attorney speaks. Something about this page I presume, but what is he saying? It makes no sense! After all it was you who presented this evidence to us, Phoenix Wright!" Klavier declared.

"Witness! Er, Mr. Misham, was it? Who requested this forgery!? Who was your client?" The judge demanded.

"That, I don't know." Misham said.

" _What?"_ Phoenix blurted.

"Most of my clients prefer to remain anonymous, even to me. I make the items they want, and receive my payment. That's the extent of my contact with them." Misham explained.

"Objection! B-But...! There's no proof this is a fake!" The protest sounded weak even to Phoenix's own ears. This was the end of the line for him and he knew it.

"It's a fake." Misham pronounced.

"Huh?" Phoenix asked more out of reflex than anything else. To avoid just this sort of problem I always put a special mark on my 'works'. I can say, without a doubt, this is mine." Mishan explained.

"Mr. Wright. You have just presented illegal evidence to this court. My court. Forging evidence is a serious crime, and presenting it in court, a serious mistake. A fatal mistake, for an attorney." The judge said.

"Hold it!" Maya called out. "There's no way Nick would knowingly present false evidence to the court, there must be some explanation."

"It doesn't matter Fraulein, Herr Wright still presented false evidence to the court and it will have dire consequences for both him and his client." Klavier said. Phoenix watched in awe as Maya stared the prosecutor down.

"I wasn't talking to you rocker boy." She said defiantly before turning to the judge. "Your Honor, with all due respect you know Nick, his record is spotless. You know he would _never_ forge evidence. I'm living proof of that. Just over a year ago you presided over the trial of Matt Engarde for the murder of Juan Corrida. During that trial I was held hostage by Shelly de Killer and Nick was under threat that if he didn't get a not guilty verdict for Matt Engarde I would be killed. Even with his best friend's life on the line Nick has always fought for the truth. At least hear him out."

"I already said it doesn't matter Fraulein, Herr Wright has presented false evidence and thus under the law will lose his attorney's badge. I gave him a chance to avoid this and he didn't take it, now he must live with the consequences." Klavier said.

"Need I remind the court that the Prosecutor's Office is _far_ from innocent when it comes to the crime of forging evidence, or have we so quickly forgotten Manfred von Karma? He was caught forging evidence and only received a penalty and was allowed to keep his job for another fifteen years, but you would disbar Nick without even letting him defend himself? Isn't that a bit of a double standard?" Maya shot back. Phoenix was stunned. He'd never seen Maya so serious and impassioned before, except when it came to burgers. For a moment he thought she was channeling Mia, but the fact that she still called him Nick was all the proof he needed that Maya was still in the driver's seat. It was nice to have someone in his corner at a time like this, even if it didn't make any difference.

"Ms. Fey brings up a good point. Mr. Wright's record is exemplary, even under the most trying of circumstances. I believe it only fair that we give him a chance to explain himself.

"The past doesn't matter Herr Judge. People change, Herr Wright committed a crime." Klavier said.

"I am aware of the severity of the offense Prosecutor Gavin, but given Mr. Wright's past I will give him one chance to speak for himself." The judge declared.

"Thank you, Your Honor." Phoenix said. Maya had given him a chance, one chance, to turn this around. He'd have to pick his words carefully. Saying that Trucy had been told to give him the forged page by someone in the hallway wasn't going to cut it, so he'd have to come at this from another angle. He had a good idea what that angle should be too. "There's no way that I could have ordered that false evidence. According to Prosecutor Gavin, the Prosecutor's Office received the tip about the false evidence yesterday, which means that the evidence must have been prepared before then. I only met the defendant Zak Gramarye last night when I first took his case." Phoenix said.

"A convenient excuse, Herr Wright, do you have any proof that you first met with the defendant last night and took the case last minute?" Klavier asked.

Phoenix smirked, he was back in control now. "Why I'm glad you asked. As you would expect we met at the detention center, which has its prisoners guarded and the meeting was caught on tape by the security cameras there. As all visits to the detention center are a matter of record I have no doubt that you will find that I did not visit my client before last night." Klavier grimaced.

"Objection! The defendant could have had the forgery made himself beforehand and passed it off to you before the trial began!" He countered.

"Objection! I find that highly unlikely Prosecutor Gavin. The forgery had to seamlessly match the tear in the diary and carry on from the last entry Magnifi Gramarye made. That last entry was made only shortly before the defendant visited the victim on the night of the crime. The defendant was arrested shortly thereafter giving him at most an hour to find Mr. Misham and make the request. Unless the defendant had been planning to frame Valant beforehand and knew he would need a forgery, which is again unlikely. As Zak Gramarye had no idea that Valant had been given a similar letter to the one that he had received." Phoenix said.

"Objection! The page we have is still a forgery, and who else would have motive to have it created, but your client, Herr Wright? Surely not Valant, all creating a forgery would do is implicate him." Klavier said.

"You raise a good point Prosecutor Gavin." The judge said.

"Indeed he does." Phoenix said with a nod, "So then we must ask ourselves who knew about the ripped out page of the diary and could have ordered the forgery? If it wasn't Zak Gramarye, or Valant and it wasn't me, then who else could it have been? Prosecutor Gavin knew about the diary because it was evidence, but I doubt that it was him, given what he said about the tip. There was one other person who knew about the diary though."

"Who would that be?" The judge asked.

"The person who gave our humble prosecutor the tip of course. Funny story, I was given this piece of forged evidence by my client's daughter, Trucy Enigmar. She told me that it was given to her by someone in the hallway of this very courthouse and was told to give it to me. Now I doubt that an eight year old girl would lie about something like that. There is one other person who was involved in this case that had motive however. As I said earlier I took this case last minute, my client had previously fired another attorney: Kristoph Gavin." Phoenix said.

"Objection!" Klavier roared, "How _dare_ you accuse my brother of manufacturing false evidence Herr Wright? Even if he did why would he have it passed off to you and tip the Prosecutor's Office off?"

"Maybe he was bitter about being fired and wanted to get back at both of us for it, as for why he would have originally had the page forged, my bet is that he wanted to use it in the trial himself." Phoenix said.

"Order!" The judge banged his gavel. "You realize that you have made a _very_ serious accusation about a fellow defense attorney Mr. Wright."

"I do your honor, and it's not something that I would do lightly, I truly do believe it do be the most plausible scenario." He said with a nod.

"My brother is not that sort of man Herr Wright. Besides it doesn't change the fact that the only evidence exonerating your client was forged. What sort of client needs forged evidence a guilty one!" Klavier shouted.

"Objection! There still the matter of the _actual_ missing page from the diary. Until we find that, there is no way to be absolutely sure." Phoenix said.

"That is true Herr Wright, but for all we know that page could be blank, a red herring to set up the forgery and I doubt whoever has the real page with be very forthcoming. Your own logic eliminated all of the prime suspects from ordering the forgery. All the evidence as it stands points to your client being guilty and you have no way to prove otherwise." Damn it, as much as he hated to admit it, the kid was right. This trial had been brought to a standstill, and the only suspect he had for forging evidence would have been smart enough to destroy the original. He was stuck, he couldn't see any way to get his client off now, and after Maya had saved his bacon and given him this chance. Then it hit him. There _was_ a way to prove what was on that page. He had Maya!

"Your Honor, if you would permit, the defense would like to call a decisive witness to the stand: Magnifi Gramarye." Phoenix said. This was it. Win, lose, or draw, it all came down to this.

"Objection! Your Honor, Herr Wright is making a mockery of this court! Magnifi Gramarye is the victim of the crime in question, there is no possible way that he could testify." Klavier protested.

"On the contrary, there is a way. Your Honor, I'm sure you remember the last case that I defended about two months ago, the last case of Prosecutor Godot." Phoenix said.

"Yes, the murder of Misty Fey, that was a long and complicated trial involving spirit mediums... Ah!" The judge seemed to catch on to what he was planning.

"That's correct Your Honor as you know, my assistant is Maya Fey, the daughter of Misty Fey and the current Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, if she's willing I believe we can clear this matter up." Phoenix said.

"No problem Nick, I'll just need a picture of Magnifi Gramarye so I can channel him." Maya said.

"Not a problem Maya, there's a picture of him in the Court Record." Phoenix said before handing her the photo.

"Are you really so desperate that you would depend on magic tricks to save you Herr Wright? Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?" Klavier mocked.

"Prosecutor Gavin, while this trial may deal with magicians and magic tricks I can assure you that the Kurain Channeling Technique is no simple parlor trick as you are about to find out." Phoenix said with a smirk.

"Yes, I have seen the power of the Kurain Channeling Technique firsthand. The transformation is no simple trick, which is why I'm allowing Mr. Wright to go through with this." The judge said. For once Klavier was speechless, and so was Phoenix for that matter when Maya channeled Magnifi. Phoenix had seen his friend channel spirits many times but never that of a man. The transformation was so complete it was startling. She looked just like Magnifi Gramarye, right down to the facial hair, only with Maya's hair and clothes. There was no way Klavier could say this had been faked. In fact everyone in the courtroom was stunned into silence for a moment.

"Mr. Gramarye, will you please take the stand?" The judge asked after regaining his composure. The old man said nothing and simply took the stand.

"Please state your name and occupation for the record." Klavier was visibly flustered, but still trying to carry out his job. "My name is Magnifi Gramarye, my occupation, well deceased, formerly stage magician." Magnifi said.

"Alright Mr. Gramarye, I just have a couple of questions for you. The first of which is who killed you?" Klavier asked.

"I killed myself. I did it shortly after my student Valant left." Magnifi declared.

"You mean it was suicide?" The judge asked in shock. Phoenix had to admit, of all the turns he'd expected the trial to take suicide had not been on the list.

"That's correct." Magnifi said.

"Then what about the ripped out page of your diary?" Klavier asked.

"I ripped that out myself. I wrote my will on it. When Zak came in that night I pretended to be asleep the whole thing was a test to see who, if anyone would inherit the rights to my tricks. Zak shot the clown doll which was the right answer, so I wrote a will passing the rights to him." The old magician explained.

Phoenix turned toward his client looking none too pleased. "Why didn't you tell me this before? You were nearly convicted for murder!" He said.

"Being tried for murder would damage my reputation, guilty or innocent. That isn't a good environment to raise a child in. I had planned to disappear and have you take Trucy in, then I would pass off the rights to the tricks to her shortly before being pronounced dead by the statute of limitations." Phoenix was damn near speechless at this. He could only muster a single sentence.

"You're a horrible father." Zak Gramarye simply hung his head. The judge cleared his throat.

"I assume that you can provide this will to the court so we may put this matter to rest?" He asked.

"Why yes, of course." Zak said producing the requested paper and giving it to the judge to study.

"The handwriting matches that of the diary, that in conjunction with the witness' testimony leaves no doubt in my mind that this will is in fact genuine." The judge said. The witness may step down." With that Maya stopped channeling Magnifi Gramarye and walked back to her spot beside Phoenix at the defense's bench.

"Great job Maya, you just won us this case." Phoenix said.

"Given recent testimony I have no choice, but to declare Shadi Enigmar Not Guilty on the charge of murdering Magnifi Gramarye." The Judge announced. "However there is still much that is left unknown and laws that have been broken. Bailiff please take Valant Gramarye into custody for perjury, and Mr. Shadi Enigmar for obstruction." The bailiff moved to follow throw when Zak spoke.

"Your Honor I'm afraid I will not be appearing in court again. You cannot take me into custody, it is impossible."

"I'm afraid the defendant is quite mistaken. I most certainly have the authority have you taken into custody."

"Except... tell me, how do you plan on taking me in... when your I do not exist?" Zak asked.

"'Don't exist'? What are you talking about? " The judge asked.

"I am talking... about this!" Zak said, a flash of light blinded everyone in the courtroom and then when everyone could see again, he was gone.

"M-Mr. Enigmar!" Phoenix called. He couldn't believe it, despite all that work to get him off for murder, Zak had pulled his little disappearing act anyway and left his daughter alone. Sure, he would have been put away for Obstruction of Justice but that was a light sentence compared to murder.

"The defendant's escaped! Find him! Quick!" Klavier shouted.

"Bailiff! Close all exits from the building! On the double! He must not be allowed to escape!" In the end it was no use, they didn't find Zak. Once that was established the judge turned back to Phoenix. "Mr. Wright, there's still the issue of you presenting forged evidence. After everything that's happened today I believe that you did not willfully try to deceive the court. As such I see no reason to report this to the Bar Association, as your innocence in the actual forgery can be easily proved by checking the detention center records."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Phoenix said, "and thank you Maya. You just saved my career. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

"It's not a problem Nick, you've saved me countless times, it's about time I returned the favor." Maya said with a smile.

"Herr Wright, I will not forget this day, you are a worthy opponent. I look forward to they day we meet again in court. For now I must further investigate that false diary page." Klavier said before walking away.

"Wow, a prosecutor who _isn't_ bitter about losing. I think I could grow to like that kid." Phoenix mused. "Right now I have to figure out what to do with Trucy."

"Can we take her out for burgers?" Maya asked.

Phoenix smiled, classic Maya, he'd missed that since she'd left, "Sure burgers sound great we'll go to the usual place."

* * *

So here we are my first Ace Attorney fanfic. Going through the flashback trial in _Apollo Justice_ and basically watching Phoenix lose his badge I was struck by a single thought: This wouldn't have happened if Maya was there. So I added Maya and got this. I almost kept Zak around, but then I realized that if he'd really wanted to stay with his daughter all he he had to do was give Phoenix the will. Instead he planned to go on the run the whole time and leave Phoenix to raise Trucy.

So yeah in the end I decided that Trucy was better off without her deadbeat dad and being raised by Phoenix, and in this fic, Maya. So the Ace Attorney has kept his badge and soon things will grow to be _very_ different than canon. I hope you all enjoy. Please leave a review. Also there was a weird formatting issue where the middle turned into a text block when I fist posted this. I have since fixed it, if you read this in the short time before that, sorry.


	2. Chapter 2: Family Ties

Disclaimer: I don't own the Ace Attorney franchise, but I'm going to have fun twisting it around.

 **For Want of a Badge**

 **Chapter 2: Family Ties**

"Nick, hello Earth to Nick." Maya's voice cut through the daze that he was in. He looked up at his friend and assistant and made a grunting noise that signified him asking what she wanted. "Are you okay Nick? You haven't even touched your burger."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine Maya. I just have a lot on my mind is all." That was probably the understatement of the year. His mind was still reeling from today's trial. True, Zak Gramarye had been innocent and he'd managed to get him off for murder, but he'd nearly lost his attorney's badge presenting false evidence. If it hadn't been for Maya being there things would've have ended a lot worse than they had.

Not that things had really ended all that well anyway. Shadi Enigmar aka Zak Gramarye was on the run from the police on obstruction charges. Leaving his eight year old daughter Trucy essentially an orphan. Phoenix stole a glance at the young girl who was also sitting at the table with him and Maya. Trucy seemed like a happy, energetic girl. It made Phoenix wonder if she actually understood what had happened today.

Honestly he hadn't despised a client like this since Matt Engarde. Of course Matt Engarde had been guilty and his actions had led to Maya's kidnapping, and Mr. Enigmar had been innocent. Phoenix just couldn't find it in his heart to forgive a man who would abandon such a sweet girl. He'd have to make some calls to see if Trucy had any family she could stay with, but considering it had been her father's plan for him to take her in he doubted that Trucy had any other family left.

Maya didn't say anything at first, but the look in her eyes told him that she understood what he was thinking about. That didn't surprise Phoenix in the least, they'd been friends, no, _best friends_ for years now, it would be kind of silly if they couldn't tell was going on in the each others heads. "Everything is going to be fine Nick, it always works out in the end. You should know that by now." She said finally.

Phoenix nodded, she had a point he supposed. "Just don't eat too much, the budget is going to be a bit tight this month. After all, since. Mr. Enigmar ran off I didn't get paid for today's trial. I have enough saved from... my last trial to pay the bills, but like I said, it's going to be a bit tight."

Maya looked a bit downcast at that. "But Nick, you know how hard it is to get burgers in Kurain. I have to eat them when I can. Besides I just saved your career, I think the least you can do is pay for a few extra burgers."

 _Nice guilt trip Maya._ "A career doesn't do me any good if I spend so much money on burgers that I can't pay rent and lose my home and office. You're head of the Fey clan now, you of all people should understand the importance of saving money. Your clan has a whole section of its sacred writings dedicated to it. '108 ways to save money' remember?"

"It's actually up to 112 ways now." Maya said. Phoenix wasn't surprised by that in the least, the list had a way of expanding. "I guess I see your point Nick, I just really like burgers." Phoenix chuckled at that.

"I know Maya, I know."

"Wait, daddy didn't pay you old boy? That's not like him at all." Trucy said speaking up for the first time. Phoenix was sweating bullets now, How was he going to explain this to a girl who had for all intents and purposes had just lost a father she idolized. He should have been more careful about what he let slip around Trucy. Thankfully for the second time today Maya was there to save him from his mistakes.

"I'm sure he just forgot. I bet he'll send the money in the mail. Also, you can just call him Nick instead of old boy, he likes that." Trucy brightened up immediately.

'Yeah, I bet that's it. Don't you worry Mr. Nick, daddy will pay you soon."

"Yeah, I bet that's it." Phoenix said scratching the back of his head nervously. Both he and Maya knew the truth though. Shadi Enigmar wasn't coming back. Phoenix turned to Maya next. "I hate to ask such a big favor of you Maya, but could you let Trucy stay in Kurain for a bit while I look for a more permanent solution? I know it's a lot to take on with your training and all but since Trucy and Pearl are about the same age I thought it might be good for them to spend time together. Pearl doesn't get much of a chance to interact with other children after all."

"That's a great idea Nick. Pearl would love having a playmate. I don't think it would be a problem so long as Trucy is okay with it. Kurain can handle having another kid around for a little bit." Maya said.

"Daddy told me I could trust Mr. Nick. If he thinks I'll be safe where you live then I'll go with you Ms. Maya." Trucy said.

"Well now that that's settled we should finish our food. I'll do what I can to find Trucy a place to live, but I can't guarantee that it will be fast or ideal." Phoenix said.

"Don't worry about it Nick, I can handle looking after Trucy until you find something." Maya said.

* * *

Trucy was surprised as she and Maya arrived at Kurain village. It was so _small_. She was used to traveling with her father's troupe and they only performed in big cities. She'd never been anywhere like Kurain before. Maya seemed to notice her staring. "Is something wrong Trucy?" She asked.

"I've just never been in a place that's so _tiny._ I'm used to living in cities Ms. Maya." Trucy said. Maya smiled at her.

"Yeah I suppose this would be quite a change for someone who traveled with Troupe Grammarye. The people of Kurain aren't like normal people Trucy. My family, the Fey clan, are spirit mediums. We can call upon the spirits of the dead for various reasons. We live secluded from everyone else so that we can train in peace and hone our spiritual power." Maya said.

"Calling upon the spirits of the dead? That must be one heck of a magic trick. You'll have to teach me some time. That would be way cooler than Mr. Hat or even my magic panties!" Trucy started bouncing around excitedly. Maya turned her face away from Trucy.

"It doesn't exactly work like that Trucy, spirit channeling is kind of a family thing. I can't really teach it to you. Also, did you say magic... _panties_?" She asked.

"Oh I see." Trucy was disappointed that she couldn't learn how to be a spirit medium, but she brightened up immediately when the subject turned to her magic.

"Yeah, I can pull anything out of my magic panties, the crowds are going to love it! Do you want to see them Ms. Maya?" Maya started.

"N-No, that's okay Trucy. I don't need to see your panties." She said quickly.

"Aw, okay." Trucy said hanging her head.

"Don't feel bad Trucy, I'm sure my cousin Pearl would love to see some of your magic. She loves that kind of thing. I'm going to leave you with her while I train for a bit. Please behave Trucy."

"Don't worry about me Ms. Maya. Daddy always said that I was a very responsible girl." Trucy said with a smile. The pair stopped in front of one of the many small housed in the village and Maya slid open the door to reveal a girl about Trucy's own age in a pink version of Maya's outfit and brown hair that was styled into a bow at the top.

The girl turned toward them and upon seeing Maya her face lit up and she ran forward and hugged her. "Mystic Maya you're back! How was your visit with Mr. Nick? You have to tell me all about it." Maya let out a laugh at this.

"You know Nick, he just can't stay out of trouble, I had to help him out again." Maya said.

"Well of course you helped him. Mr. Nick is your special someone." The girl who Trucy had gathered was Maya's cousin Pearl said while peeking out at them through her hands. Trucy could have sworn that she saw Maya blushing a little.

"Pearl, this is Trucy, she's going to be staying with us while Nick find her a new place to live. I have to go train so I need you to look after her while I'm busy okay Pearly?" Trucy didn't miss how quickly Maya changed the subject. Maybe there was something to what Pearl was saying.

"You can count on me Mystic Maya!" Pearl declared. Maya laughed a little and went on her way leaving Trucy and Pearl alone together. "So Trucy are you a friend of Mr. Nick?"

"Yeah he helped my daddy in court. He's such a nice man. You called him Ms. Maya's 'special someone', what does that mean?"

"Well it means that Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick are in love of course. Mr. Nick was all Mystic Maya would talk about when she came back from the city two years ago and just a couple of months ago, he ran across a burning bridge over a dangerous river to try and save her. It's all so very romantic." Pearl was doing that thing where she peaked at people through her hands again.

"Yeah I suppose it is. So Pearl do you want to see a magic trick?" Trucy asked.

"You can do magic?" Pearl asked excitedly.

"Yep, I'm a professional magician." Trucy quickly pulled out Mr, Hat. "this is Mr. Hat, he's my favorite trick."

"That's amazing Trucy! We have to show Mystic Maya when she's done training."

"Don't worry we will."

* * *

April 26, 2019, Criminal Affairs Department:

Phoenix tried his best to wait patiently for his appointment. Someone was supposed to meet him here, but they were a half hour late. He hoped that they hadn't forgotten, but given who it was that he was waiting for he wouldn't have put it past them. Still this was important, so they needed to show up soon. At least there were comfortable chairs to sit in.

"Hey pal," A voice called and Phoenix turned to see a scruffy man in a green coat approaching him and smiled, "sorry to keep you waiting, the department's been a bit swamped trying to tie up the loose ends on the Zak Gramarye case on top of our regular workload."

"It's alright Detective Gumshoe, I know you're busy. Thank you for meeting me like this. I want to tie up the loose ends on the Zak Gramarye case as much as you do. Any luck on that subject I asked you to look into?"

Gumshoe shook his head. "As far as we've been able to figure out Trucy Enigmar has no living relatives outside of her father, and you and I both know he isn't coming back pal. He's got the whole department scratching their heads with his escape from the courthouse."

Phoenix sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that, looks like plan B is the only option." Phoenix really wasn't a fan of plan B, especially since it involved playing right into Zak Gramarye's hands, but at this point he really didn't see any other option. Besides, this was about Trucy, not her father, and he wasn't about to turn his back on that sweet little girl like her father had.

"Why'd you have me look into this anyway? My job is to investigate crimes, I don't usually go around digging through the public records like this."

"I know it's a little bit out of your wheelhouse Detective Gumshoe, but you're the only one in the department that I trust enough to do this. I know we're often on the opposite sides of things, but we've helped each other out of enough scrapes that I think I can truly call you my pal."

Gumshoe was positively beaming. "Ah, gee thanks, don't spread this around, but I've gotten rather fond of you and Maya too. That's not going to stop me from trying to get one up in you in court though pal."

"I wouldn't expect anything less Gumshoe." Phoenix said with a laugh. As bumbling as Gumshoe could be at times he was a truly good man and Phoenix was proud to call him his friend. Now if they could just get the poor guy off of the instant noodle diet that would be something.

"Where is Trucy anyway, and what's this plan B you mentioned? I assume you have some sort of living arrangement planned for the poor girl. Being abandoned by her father like that his to be rough, I hope she'll be okay."

"Trucy is staying with Maya in Kurain Village right now, she needed some place to go while you were looking to see if she had any living relatives and I figured Maya could handle looking after a kid for a little while, she does look after Pearl after all. As for my plan B, well, I'm going to adopt Trucy."

" _What?_ Are you serious? Adopting a kid is a huge responsibility, are you sure you can handle it pal. No offense, but you never struck me as the fatherly type." Gumshoe said with a start.

 _Thanks for the vote of confidence Gumshoe._ "I know it's not ideal, but I don't see much choice. The only other option is that the poor girl goes into the system and frankly I think Trucy has been through enough already. Trucy needs someone in her corner and right now I'm the only one who can help her, and you know me, I've never been one to turn my back on someone in need, no matter how dire the situation. Right now I'm just waiting on the paperwork to be approved."

"Yeah, I suppose that's true pal, good luck with that. If there's anything I can do to help just let me know." Gumshoe said, but Phoenix shook his head.

"It's going to be a bit tight, but if I take more cases I should be fine. Anyway, you've done plenty Detective Gumshoe, thank you, all I ask now is that you keep me up to date on any developments in the Zak Gramarye case. Which reminds me, any leads on that forged diary page that almost cost me my job?"

Gumshoe looked away sadly. "Sorry pal, but the department's coming up empty on that front too. Whoever ordered that forgery made sure to cover their tracks really well. We're going to to keep looking, but the odds that we'll find the guy are pretty slim."

"I figured as much, don't worry about it. I'll do some investigation of my own." In truth Phoenix had a pretty good idea who had ordered the forged diary page from Drew Misham, but like the police he was going to have a hard time finding any proof. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try though. "Thank you for your time Gumshoe.

"Not a problem pal." He replied.

* * *

April 26, 2019, Gavin Law Office:

Klavier smirked as his brother flicked the light to the law office on. He'd had the distinct impression that Kristoph had been trying to avoid him since he'd lost to Phoenix Wright in the trial of Zak Gramarye, but there were loose ends to that trial, questions that needed answering and Klavier had a sneaking suspicion that his brother could answer those questions.

"Klavier, how did you get in here? I could have you arrested for breaking and entering you know. You're lucky you're my brother." Krisoph snapped.

"Oh I very much doubt that you could have me arrested considering I had a warrant issued. You see the police don't want to leave any stone unturned in the Zak Gramarye case, even if its relation is only tangential. Since you were Gramarye's first defense attorney before he switched to Phoenix Wright you have a connection to the case and I am well within my rights to investigate."

"Tread carefully Klavier, you've already disappointed me once. I handed you Wright and Gramarye on a silver platter and you still manged to bungle it up, perhaps you should drop this case and save yourself any further _embarrassment_."

"You lied to me Kristoph, you told me that Herr Wright had that diary page forged, but that's impossible, he only became Gramarye's attorney the night before the trial and Gramarye himself never had the time to have it forged either. Phoenix Wright is a good man and you had me disrespect him and nearly destroy his career, why?"

"You would really believe Wright's claims over mine? I'm your brother, you have cut me deep Klavier. Though it boggles my mind how Wright got off for his forgery. He should have been disbarred and Gramarye should be rotting behind bars right now, but they aren't because you failed."

"Zak Gramarye did not commit that murder, and Herr Wright has an airtight alibi that proves he did not order the forgery. That much was proved with the help of Maya Fey and her spirit channeling. It disturbs me that you are so eager to see innocent men punished for crimes the didn't commit Kristoph."

"You've disappointed me yet again Klavier. Spirit channeling, you let Wright and Gramarye get off because of some parlor trick? Have you forgotten everything I taught you? Evidence is the only thing that matters."

"I was skeptical of the power of spirit channeling at first, but then I gained the best kind of evidence, an eye witness account. My first duty is to the truth above all else and Gramarye and Herr Wright were innocent. Though Herr Wright did raise an interesting theory for me to investigate: He proposed that _you_ might have been the one to commission the forged diary page from Drew Misham. I see no point in beating around the bush, did you?"

To Krisoph's credit he didn't even flinch at the question. Though that was to be expected, he wasn't called the Coolest Defense in the West for nothing. In truth Klavier often found his brother's demeanor infuriating, this was one of those times. "Even if I did what would it matter?"

"What would it matter? It would make you a criminal Kristoph!" Klavier sputtered.

"It would at that, but what do you have to base this accusation on other than Wright's assertions? Without decisive evidence you have no case against me. Now, if that is all I'm afraid I must ask you to leave Klavier, you see, I have work to do." Klavier said nothing as he departed. He _would_ get to the bottom of the Zak Gramarye case.

* * *

May 3, 2019, Wright & Co. Law Offices:

Phoenix took a deep breath as Maya and Trucy sat down in his office. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation, but at this point he had no choice. "Trucy, there's something we need to talk about. It's been two week since your father... disappeared. We need to start thinking about... your future. I, um, did some calling around. This is hard to say, but, you have no living relatives." Phoenix had to stop and take another deep breath before continuing.

"So... I was wondering if you wanted to stay with me for a while. Just until your daddy comes home. It won't be long. Uh, of course, it's totally your choice. If you don't like it here, you can go wherever you'd like. I could look up some places you might like to stay at..." This was so awkward, and Trucy was just sitting there silent. He was almost glad when Maya broke the tension.

"Nick are you saying what I think you're saying? Are you going to adopt Trucy? Are you sure you can handle that?" Maya asked. Phoenix was about to retort when Trucy spoke up.

"Mr. Nick. Daddy told me about you. He said I could trust you."

"Huh? Really?" Zak Gramarye had barely known him and yet he'd told his daughter that she could trust him? Then again this had been part of his plan all along so he supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

"So, if I stay here does that mean you'll be my family?" Trucy asked

"Huh? Uh... Um... I guess so?"

"Um... Mr. Nick?"

"You can call me Daddy if you'd like. It doesn't have to be today, or anything."

"OK! Say, Daddy?" The transition was so quick it gave Phoenix whiplash.

"Yes?"

"If I move here, I have to switch schools, right? And I was thinking, I haven't paid for lunches at my last school... for a year. So thanks, Daddy!"

"Ah." Was all he could mange though he could already hear his wallet crying.

"Oh, and this office? It's a little blah. A little color goes a long way, you know?" Trucy said.

"You know she's right Nick this office could use a little more color, oh I have just the thing back at Kurain. I can give you a few of my Steel Samurai posters!" Maya said excitedly.

"Maya your sister decorated this office, show some respect." Phoenix protested.

"But Nick some Steel Samurai posters would look great on the walls." Maya said.

"Oh, and Daddy? You don't have a lot of money right? Don't you worry one bit! I'll work twice as hard! We'll make it through this!" Trucy declared. "

Trucy... you're only eight years old." Phoenix said, hoping that would deter her from trying to do something dangerous to get money.

"Don't let appearances deceive you! I'm a young professional! Stick with me and you'll do just fine, Daddy!" She declared.

"Ah, thanks." It already felt like Trucy was in charge.

"So, I have an idea. We'll make a new office! Law just seems so stiff, doesn't it? And no one will be my friend at school that way!" Trucy said.

"Well that won't do, I guess. I just don't know much about anything other than law." Phoenix said.

"Maybe the problem is calling it an 'office'. We should run an 'agency' instead!" Trucy suggested.

"You mean... like a talent agency? Forgive me for asking, but doesn't that require 'talent'?" Phoenix asked.

"You've got me, don'tcha? I'm a professional!" Trucy declared.

"A professional?' This conversation was going all sorts of strange places. "Yup! After all, I am directly descended from the famous Zak Gramarye! Oh...! And now I'm directly descended from the famous Phoenix Wright, too!"

"And you have me, Maya Fey, Ace Spirit Medium directly descended from the legendary Ami Fey. This talent agency is going to do great!" Maya said excitedly.

"Maya, don't encourage this! This is a law office not a talent agency! Trucy, Maya, are are you even listening to me?" Phoenix's protests fell on deaf ears however as Trucy and Maya were already discussing about how to decorate the new talent agency. He needed to put a stop to this and _fast_ , otherwise he would find himself without a law office very soon.

"So Trucy... You're... a 'professional'?" He said trying to get her attention.

"Yes! Um... It's like that thing they say! 'Baby frogs grow up to be frogs'?" Trucy seemed unsure.

"They say that?" Phoenix asked.

"I always thought it was funny, though. Aren't baby frogs called 'tadpoles'? Maybe they thought it would be easier to understand that way for kids. How stupid!" Trucy declared.

"Right. So, in conclusion you're a professional magician, Trucy?" Phoenix asked mostly rhetorically.

"That's right! Well? Well? Wanna see a trick?" Trucy asked.

"You're... going to do a magic trick?" Phoenix asked.

"Show him Mr. Hat, Nick would love Mr. Hat Trucy." Maya said. Phoenix had to wonder what Mr. Hat was.

"Actually, I would like to see your trick." He said.

"That's the spirit! Ready? Here goes! Ta dah!" Trucy pulled off her hat and some sort of wooden puppet appeared.

"Hey folks, it's Mr. Hat! I gotta say it's good to be seen!" Mr. Hat said. Phoenix screamed in surprise, though Maya seemed to thoroughly enjoy the trick.

"Whoa... that was... startling." He said

"The Amazing Mr. Hat! Isn't he great?" Trucy asked over Maya's gushing.

"Your friendly neighborhood Mr. Hat, at your service!" Mr. Hat said.

"He... certainly makes an impression." Phoenix said diplomatically.

"Doesn't he? Ha ha ha! I'm so glad you like him, Daddy!" Trucy said with a smile.

"Though my routines do get a bit 'heady' at times! Hah! Get it? Heady!" Mr. Hat joked.

 _My friendly neighborhood Mr. Hat nearly gave me a heart attack._ Though Mr. Hat did give Phoenix a few ideas about how Zak might have escaped the courthouse that he would need to follow up on. Then Trucy asked another question out of the blue.

"Hey Daddy, is Ms. Maya going to be my new Mommy, I'd love to have brothers and sisters." At this even Maya was stunned silent. _Just what I needed, another Pearl._


	3. Chapter 3: Growing Pains

Disclaimer: I don't own the Ace Attorney franchise, but I'm going to have fun twisting it around.

 **For Want of a Badge**

 **Chapter 3: Growing Pains**

Phoenix sighed as he watched Trucy sleep on the couch in his apartment; she'd gone to bed rather early, but he couldn't blame her, moving into a new place with new family had to be hard. The lights were off to help the girl sleep. He'd have to get her a bed soon. Who was he kidding, he'd need a whole new apartment. It wouldn't be right for Trucy to be stuck on the couch in his one bedroom apartment or for her to share a bedroom with her adoptive father.

"I should go Nick, it's getting late and I wouldn't want to worry Pearl. It will be a while before I can visit again, I really need to focus on my training. Still, if you ever need me I'll come running." Maya said from behind him. Phoenix turned toward his best friend and nodded.

"Can I at least get you dinner before you go? Eldoon's is still open and I'd really like to catch up." Even in the darkness he could see Maya's face light up. Mentioning Eldoon Noodles was a quick way to get Maya to agree to almost anything.

"What are we waiting for Nick, let's go!" Maya ran for the door. Phoenix chuckled and shook his head. Maya always knew just what to do to brighten his mood and make him forget his worries. He was glad he had her in his life, despite the tragic circumstances that had brought the two of them together three years ago. He'd made a promise to Mia to look after her sister and he'd kept that promise no matter what, even if it turned out in the end that Maya had looked out for him just as much.

"I'll be right there, let me write a note for Trucy in case she wakes up before I get back." Phoenix jotted down a quick note and left it where his new daughter would find it. It didn't take them long to get to Eldoon's a quick order of two Miso Ramen, a black coffee for himself, and a hot chocolate for Maya and the pair sat down to eat.

"Since when do you take your coffee black Nick? For as long as I've known you, you've always loaded it up with cream and sugar." Maya said. Phoenix looked away from her for a moment, he knew his answer would likely sour the mood, but he also knew Maya wasn't going to let it go until he told her the truth. Resolved to his fate Phoenix turned back to face his friend with a sigh.

"Since our last case together. When I shared that last cup of coffee with Godot- I mean Diego. I don't really even know why. Something about it just seemed _right_ after that." He'd taken to calling his former rival his real name of Diego instead of his alias of Godot out of respect. Diego Armando had possibly been his most worthy opponent, right up there with Edgeworth.

He'd certainly been the most human. He'd been willing to commit a crime, and ultimately go to prison in order to help save Maya, Phoenix would always hold the man in high regard because of that. Even if Diego had originally had an ax to grind against him because of Mia's death.

"Oh, because of Mr. Armando..." Maya said turning away for a moment, "You know you're doing a really great thing for Trucy, Nick. I know what it's like to grow up as an orphan. Yeah, my mom wasn't actually dead, but I didn't know that. We both know Trucy's father isn't coming back. She's lucky to have you, I didn't really have anyone around to take care me for a good part of my childhood. I mean, I had Mia, but most of the time she was busy studying to be a lawyer or taking on cases."

The pair was silent for a good minute. Somewhere in the back of his mind Phoenix knew that Maya had been through a rather rough childhood, but it had never quite registered because of how happy she seemed most of the time. Having it all laid out in front of him like this was quite a shock. "Maya, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I shouldn't have brought up Mr. Armando..." Outside the shelter of the noodle stand thunder roared, the skies had been darkening for a while now. It seemed a storm was coming.

"It's not that. I'm just _scared_ Nick." Maya blurted. Phoenix quirked an eyebrow at that.

"Scared? What's got you so scared Maya? You know you can talk to me about anything right?" He said.

"There's a lot riding on me Nick. People expect me to be the next Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique. Everything my village stands for is on my shoulders and the Fey clan's reputation still hasn't recovered from the DL-6 Incident. Not only that but with aunt Morgan gone, I have to raise Pearl now and I'm barely an adult myself! Sometimes I wish Mia was still here so she could do this instead. I'm just not sure I can handle all of this responsibility."

"I know how you feel Maya, I have to raise a little girl now and keep up a law practice alone. I know I didn't have to take Trucy in, but I couldn't just abandon her. Not after her father had just done the same thing. You know Mia left Kurain partially to protect you from the infighting of your clan Maya." The spirit medium nodded.

"I know, even if it didn't work in the end because of aunt Morgan, I know my sister was just trying to protect me. That doesn't make what I have to do any easier, especially when I have to do it all alone." Maya cast her eyes to the floor. Phoenix reached across the table and took her hands in his.

"You don't have to do this alone. You know I'll always be there for you when you need me. Just don't let Pearl and Trucy know I said that, for some reason they already think that we're in a relationship." Phoenix cracked a smile and tried to use the humor to lighten the mood, even if seeing Maya in this more adult light was rather eye opening he hated seeing her down in the dumps like this.

"Would that really be so bad, you and me I mean? I mean I'm quite a catch." Maya said with a smirk. Phoenix laughed. _There_ was the Maya he knew. He was glad that he'd managed to brighten her mood.

"Sure you are Maya, for twelve year old Steel Samurai fans." He teased. She scowled at him.

"That wasn't nice Nick!" Despite the angry inflection in her voice it was clear that Maya wasn't really mad at him but merely playing along with the teasing; he'd known her long enough to tell the difference.

A black haired young man approached their table. Both Phoenix and Maya were well-acquainted with him, this was Guy Eldoon, the son of the man who owned the noodle shop. "Are you going to eat those noodles or nurse them?" Guy asked.

"Sorry Guy, we just got a bit distracted by life stuff." Phoenix said.

"Not my problem, it's just that we'll be closing up shop soon." Guy said, "Truth be told I don't much care for noodles myself, my dad says that salty broth runs in our blood. Fourteen generations of Eldoons have been making noodles, but that's not what I want for myself. I'm getting out of this noodle stand as soon as I can and making something of myself. I'm going to be a surgeon."

"Well we wish you the best Guy. We'll be out of your hair soon." Maya said before Guy left to help his father start cleaning up. It didn't take long for the pair to finish their meal and say their goodbyes at the bus station. Tomorrow was a new day full of new challenges, and for now at least Phoenix would have to face them without Maya. If he were to be completely honest with himself, he hated the idea of not having Maya by his side.

* * *

Trucy Wright led her new adoptive father by the hand through the store. He'd told her that they were here to pick up school supplies, but the young magician had other plans. She knew her new daddy wanted to make her feel comfortable and the meager possessions she'd procured traveling with Troupe Gramarye were now lost to her because of the court case, so she needed new things to decorate her new home, and new magic equipment of course.

"Come on Daddy, I saw a really cool box I could use to saw people in half!" Trucy felt her new father stiffen. "is something wrong?" Phoenix's hand was now slick with sweat.

"Are you sure you should be trying such a difficult trick at your age? Who would you even practice on?" Trucy flashed an innocent smile.

"I'd practice on you silly. That's what fathers are for after all." Trucy felt her new adoptive father begin to sweat even more profusely and go white.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"Don't worry Daddy, everything will be fine. After all, I'm a young professional!"

"That _really_ doesn't make me feel any better about this..." Phoenix muttered. Trucy led her father into the magic aisle and piled magic supplies into the cart. "Trucy, we're here for school supplies. I can't afford all of this. Not to mention I don't even own a car and all this stuff won't fit into a txi so I'm going to have to carry it all!"

"But Daddy, a magician needs her tools of the trade. How am I supposed to get better if you don't give me what I need?" She put on a cute pouty face that she'd always used on her biological father when she wanted something. He could never resist that face. She hoped that her new father would be the same.

Phoenix sighed. "Fine, but this all the magic stuff I'm buying right now. I still need to get you school supplies and have enough money to put a down-payment on a new apartment for us to live in." Trucy gave him her best smile.

"Thank you Daddy."

"No problem Trucy." They spent the rest of their time at the store getting school supplies like her father wanted. Truth be told even Trucy knew this had been a rather expensive shopping trip, but then she was young and used to being rich because Troupe Gramarye had a lot of money and prestige. So the draining of Phoenix's wallet didn't have quite the same effect on her as it did on him.

Phoenix paused by the checkout line and picked up a CD studying it briefly before putting it in the cart. Trucy picked it up ad read it.

" _Guilty Love_ by the Gavineers. You like rock music Daddy?"

"Yeah I like it, but that's not the reason I'm buying it. I want it because of who made it." He pointed to a blonde teenager on the cover. "That man, Klavier Gavin." Trucy felt her cheeks heat.

"He's kind of cute." She mused.

"No Trucy," Phoenix snapped, "You don't get to have a crush on the enemy. Klavier is a prosecutor, the bane of my existence. I'm only buying the CD so I can understand Klavier better, get inside his head, and see what all the fuss is about. Besides he's the guy who tried to put your old daddy in jail."

Trucy frowned she didn't think Daddy was lying to her. All the sudden Klavier didn't look very cute anymore. "I don't like him." She said at length. Phoenix nodded and smiled at her.

"That's my girl."

* * *

Kristoph Gavin was busy pouring over old court files. All of them had some connection to one man: Phoenix Wright. Kristoph detested the man and he'd only ever met him in passing. He detested Wright because he'd robbed him of the fame he so richly deserved. Zak Gramarye aka Shadi Enigmar had chosen Wright over him, it was a slight he simply could not abide.

He'd tried to get his revenge on Wright by passing him the evidence he'd had forged back when he was the defense attorney on the case. It had almost worked too. He'd almost dealt with Wright and that treacherous Gramarye in a single blow, not to mention success would've made Klavier indebted to him, it was always good to have a little blackmail on the opposition, even if it was your own brother. It was a perfect plan.

Yet at the end of the day, nothing had gone to plan. Wright still had his attorney's badge and while Gramarye was on the run and wanted for obstruction, but that wasn't nearly as satisfying as the seeing the traitor on death row for murder. On top of all of that Klavier now suspected the truth of the matter. If his brother started digging, and he would, that would be... problematic to say the least. How had it all gone so wrong?

The answer to that all boiled down to a young woman: Maya Fey. Her being in that courtroom had been an unforeseen complication. At first he'd just wanted to right off Klavier's claims that the girl had channeled Magnifi Gramarye's spirit as a fanciful excuse for his loss, but unfortunately the validity of the Kurain Channeling Technique was well documented in the court record. First and foremost there was the infamous DL-6 incident, that had seemingly discredited spirit channeling and shamed the Fey family; that had been part of the reason Kristoph had written off his brother's story at first.

Of course Wright had solved the DL-6 case and defeated the legendary undefe Wrigt's efforts in solate prosecutor Manfred von Karma, Kristoph had heard the stories of Wright's exploits, but he figured that the reports had been exaggerated. Looking over theses files it was easy to see that he'd underestimated his opponent. Phoenix Wright had only lost one case in his entire career. The trial of Matt Engarde, though as it turned out the man had been guilty. Not that such things mattered to Kristoph, he would've gotten Engarde anyway, that was an attorney's job.

Yes, Wright's record was impeccable, that was part of the reason the judge had been so lenient with him when he'd presented the fake evidence. Still at least some of this had to be embellished, even for Wright going to Britain and exposing a government social experiment masquerading as a medieval town with magic was stretching it and yet here it was in the files. Kristoph would sooner believe in spirit channeling than that.

He would have to believe in spirit channeling it would seem as Wright's efforts in solving the murder of Misty Fey had brought credibility back to the Kurain Channeling Technique and it was that very channeling that had gotten him off the hook for presenting false evidence and got Zak Gramarye cleared of murder charges. In short if he wanted to take down Phoenix Wright.

That much was obvious. Both the trial of Matt Engarde and the trial for the murder of Misty Fey had shown that Maya Fey was Wright's Achilles heel. Remove her and he would be too shaken to be on his game. Kristoph's first thought was to hire the famed assassin Shelly de Killer to dispose of Ms. Fey, but de Killer was famous for his honorable behavior and might feel he owed Wright a for after the trial of Matt Engarde. Not that Kristoph was in any particular rush, he was, after all, a patient man. He would take his time ad come up with the perfect plan and in the end Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, and Zak Gramarye would all pay for what they had done to him.

* * *

Phoenix was not impressed with the apartment his new real estate agent was showing him and Trucy. It had leaky pipes, peeling wallpaper and shag carpeting older than he was. Phoenix was not a harsh man by nature no matter how much he yelled in court so he tried to keep a neutral expression. "As you can see this apartment has plenty of space for you and your daughter, is within waking distance of your workplace and has an amazing view." The real estate agent Shelly Holmes said.

All of that was true, but it still was far from an ideal place to iv. At least for Phoenix. Trucy seemed to have other ideas. The girl was already planning where she was going to put all her stuff. While Phoenix wanted to make his new daughter as happy as possible that wasn't enough for him to put aside his reservations about the place.

"Yes, but it clearly needs some work, I'm concerned about how much that will cost." Phoenix said. Shelly's exuberant smile shrunk a few molars. She almost looked distressed.

"Yes the previous owners were a little... lax shall we say, on the upkeep, but it's nothing a little elbow grease won't fix. You look like a handy man Mr. Wright, I'm sure you could take care of it."

 _It doesn't matter how much lipstick you put on this pig Shelly, it's still a pig._

"I just don't know Shelly..."

Shelly was about to respond when her phone went off. She looked at who was calling and turned to him. "Sorry Mr. Wright, I have to take this." She quickly answered the phone. "What is it boss? I'm with a client right now. What? You want me to come as soon as I'm done here? Yes sir, I understand." Shelly was clearly not enthused when she hung up the phone.

"Is everything alright Shelly?" Phoenix asked.

"It's nothing you need to corn yourself with Mr. Wright. Now back to discussing the apartment, unfortunately this is the only two bedroom apartment in the area that is in your price range. I can keep looking, but I'm afraid it could be some time before I find something that meets your criteria."

She was right unfortunately. Finding a two bedroom apartment in this city that was a reasonable distance away from both the office and court was a tricky proposition, especially on his budget. He might be a famed defense attorney, but considering he had to pay rent and utilities for both his apartment and the office, not to mention food his money was a bit stretched. Now with Trucy to take care of... He _needed_ a cheap place to live. None of this stuff would be _that_ hard to fix.

"Alright you can put in an offer Shelly." Phoenix said with a sigh. He didn't have much choice. The rest of the day was rather uneventful. He went home and cooked dinner for Trucy and himself and watched some TV. However just as he was about to go to bed his cell phone went off.

He could help but smile as he heard the notes of the Steel Samurai theme. Maya had made that his ringtone. Initially he'd just been too lazy to change it, but now he really liked it. He kept it because it reminded him of all the good times he'd had with Maya, and although he'd deny it until his dying day he'd become a closet Steel Samurai fan. The show really was pretty good. His smile vanished however when he saw who was calling. An all too familiar phone number: The detention center.

"Hello." He said answering his phone.

"Mr. Wright, I need your help. I've been arrested for murder." It was Shelly on the other side of the line. Pheonix was about to rush out the door when he realized that he didn't have anyone to watch Trucy. He'd have to take her with him.

"Hold on Shelly, Trucy and I will be there soon."

* * *

So the long-awaited chapter 3 is here. Not going to lie, the delay was pure writer's block. Next time I try my hand at writing a case, or at least part of one for the first time ever. Apologies in advance if it sucks. Also Maya's going to be pretty much absent for a few chapters while I build Nick and Trucy's relationship.


End file.
